1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mobile communications and, in particular, to a method for emergency service access using a mobile telephone.
2. Description of the Related Art
Providers of emergency services, such as fire, police and rescue departments have been greatly aided in their efforts to provide service to individuals in need by the introduction of the 911 emergency number which is now prevalent in the United States. Similarly, the widespread use of mobile telephones has decreased the emergency response time as more and more passing motorists are able to dial 911 shortly after an emergency situation arises. Occasionally, however, the caller""s efforts to dial 911 are hampered because the mobile phone may be configured so as to require the entry of an access code to unlock the phone prior to making a telephone call. While the access code prevents the unauthorized use of the mobile telephone, its requirement delays or prevents the dialing of an emergency 911 call when it is the victim""s phone which is used to make the call.
Clearly, there is a need in the art for a method of bypassing, in an emergency situation, the entry of an access code to unlock a phone prior to making a telephone call.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,482 to Grimes discloses a cellular terminal for providing public emergency call location information. The cellular terminal transmits information defining its location upon placing a 911 call using a global satellite positioning (GPS) device. In addition, the cellular terminal can be programmed to transmit personal characteristics the subscriber has programmed into the cellular terminal. In an emergency situation, the terminal transmits this information as digital information at the same time as the location information is transmitted to the public safety answering point (PSAP) system utilized by the emergency service provider. Unfortunately, the information that could be programmed into the cellular terminal would be limited and would be for a single individual. In an emergency situation information could be needed for an entire family. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a method of transmitting more extensive personal medical records and records for more than one individual to a PSAP system.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for bypassing, in an emergency situation, the need for entering an access code to unlock the phone prior to sending a call from a mobile telephone that has been locked.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for sending emergency information from a mobile switching center (MSC) to a PSAP system in the form of an emergency contact record (ECR).
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a method for transmitting a request to send emergency contact records to the PSAP in the event the mobile subscriber is not placing the call through their home system.
To achieve these objects, there is provided a method for emergency service access using a mobile telephone. The mobile telephone stores a list of emergency numbers to be used by mobile service providers. This list could include 911 and *911 for requesting a call to be placed to the nearest PSAP, *FIRE for the nearest fire department, *ER for the nearest emergency room, *HP for the nearest highway patrol office, and *POL for the nearest police station. The mobile service provider would estimate the mobile telephones location by what base station the mobile telephone is communicating with and would route the call to the nearest emergency service provider requested. When an emergency situation arises and the mobile telephone is locked and the caller enters a number followed by [send], the mobile telephone compares the entered value (*911) with a list of known emergency numbers stored in the memory of the mobile telephone. If the number entered is one of the known emergency numbers, the terminal will immediately place the emergency call even though the mobile phone is locked. All other key combinations will be compared to a user defined access code previously stored in memory. The previously entered access code is required to unlock the mobile telephone. This number prevents the unauthorized use of the mobile phone and deters theft. If the entered value matches the user access code stored in memory, the mobile phone will be unlocked and ready for normal use. If the values do not match, the mobile phone will remain locked.
In a preferred embodiment, when the 911 emergency sequence is keyed and transmitted to the MSC, the MSC will determine the proper PSAP to connect the subscriber to based on the base station through which they are connected. The MSC will also direct that base station and neighboring base stations to begin procedures for locating the subscriber""s mobile telephone. Methods for locating a mobile caller are known in the art and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,147 to Grimes and U.S. Pat. No. 5,959,580 to Maloney et al.
The mobile service provider will provide for a set of emergency contact records (ECR) that may be maintained by the subscriber for themselves and their family. The subscriber may maintain these emergency contact records using a variety of methods including, but not limited to, talking with an administrator from the mobile provider, accessing a secure web page, or mailing in updates to the mobile provider. These emergency contact records may include information for each member in the family, including the individual""s name, home address, phone number, physical description, emergency contact name and number, doctor""s name and number, emergency medical information (such as drug allergies), temporary conditions (such as a pregnancy), a digital image, and any other information the subscriber deems relevant for the PSAP to know in an emergency.
At the time the emergency call is placed, if the MSC is part of the subscriber""s home system, the MSC will have access to the subscriber""s ECRs and will send them to the PSAP for use during the emergency. It should be noted that there are many possible methods for sending the ECRs to the PSAP. In a preferred embodiment, the ECRs are sent to the PSAP over the Internet. Other possible methods may include the sending of a facsimile transmission, the sending of an e-mail, or even directing an operator from the mobile service provider to call the PSAP and provide the information over the telephone. One skilled in the art will recognize that there are many possible and effective ways to communicate the ECRs to the PSAP system.
In the event the subscriber places a call while not in the subscriber""s home system, the local MSC will send a request to the subscriber""s home system asking the home system to send the subscriber""s ECRs to the PSAP and will provide an ordered list of methods for transmitting the ECRs to the PSAP.
In an additional embodiment of the present invention, the ECRs are maintained by an independent organization and when a 911 emergency call is placed the MSCs will send a request to the independent organization which maintains ECRs and request the organization to send the information to the PSAP selected by the MSC.